The present invention relates generally to the control of a defrost heater for a refrigerator and specifically to an adaptive control method and apparatus therefor.
It is known to provide a defrost heater to a refrigeration unit such as in a domestic refrigerator or freezer appliance. In conventional arrangements, the heater is cycled on the basis of electromechanical timers which accumulate time on the basis of compressor run time. When the timer accumulates a predetermined amount of compressor run time, the defrost heater initiates a defrost cycle, regardless of the current state of various refrigeration components and environment. This can lead to an inefficient use of energy.